THURSDAY, Dec. 9, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Children at risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) might find some protection from the disease by spending more time in the sun, a small study suggests. Although MS is rare in children and young adults, those with relatives who have the condition have increasedContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Dec. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Genetic testing can help guide management and treatment of unexplained epilepsy in children, new research suggests. “A genetic diagnosis impacted medical management for nearly three out of four children in our study,” said study author Dr. Isabel Haviland. She’s a postdoctoral research fellowContinue Reading

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A rare gene variant discovered among Amish people may help lower “bad” cholesterol and protect against heart disease, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 7,000 Amish people, the gene variant was tied to reductions in both LDL cholesterol and fibrinogenContinue Reading

FRIDAY, Dec. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A boy or a girl? New research suggests that the air pregnant women breathe or the water they drink could play a role in their baby’s sex. The finding stems from tracking hundreds of factors — including pollution exposure — surrounding the birthContinue Reading

MONDAY, Nov. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A defect in the blood-brain barrier may play a role in Parkinson’s disease, a groundbreaking research study suggests. The blood-brain barrier acts as a filter to keep out toxins while still allowing the passage of nutrients to nourish the brain. This study foundContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Nov. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Gene therapy might soon offer a new option for children with a rare genetic disorder that damages tissues throughout the body, researchers are reporting. In a study of eight children with the condition, called Hurler syndrome, researchers found that the gene therapy wasContinue Reading

TUESDAY, Nov. 16, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have identified a second HIV-positive person whose body might have naturally cleared the infection — sparking hope that studying such exceedingly rare events will help lead to a cure. The researchers cautioned that they cannot prove the woman has fully eradicated theContinue Reading

MONDAY, Nov. 8, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Whole genome sequencing of blood samples improves detection of rare genetic conditions called mitochondrial disorders, British researchers report. These disorders are inherited and affect about 1 in 4,300 people, causing progressive, incurable diseases. Though they are among the most common inherited disorders, mitochondrialContinue Reading

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Researchers may have unearthed a surprising risk factor for often-fatal brain bleeds: Sleepless nights. In a study of about 70,000 adults, researchers found that people with a genetic predisposition to insomnia were at somewhat higher risk of a brain aneurysm. An aneurysm isContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Oct. 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) — New research in mice may provide clues to age-related hair loss in men and women. Scientists found that as hair stem cells in mice age, they lose the stickiness that keeps them secured inside the hair follicle. This allows the stem cells toContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Oct. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Nine of 10 patients with so-called “bubble boy” immune disease who received gene therapy about a decade ago are still disease-free, researchers report. The gene therapy was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to treat the rare and deadly immuneContinue Reading

THURSDAY, Sept. 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Artificial intelligence (AI) might be able to spot the next virus to jump from animals to humans, Scottish researchers report. Identifying diseases before they become a threat to humans is challenging, because only a few of the nearly 2 million animal viruses canContinue Reading